February 3, 2018

Hope you all have had a great close to 2017 and are staying as well as possible in 2018 so far. It’s a brutal cold and flu season out there for sure.

Last weekend we attended the NH Maple Producers Association annual business meeting which is always a great opportunity to see our fellow sugar makers and get an idea what everyone is thinking about the new season-to-come. It also gets us all to thinking about the other events the association is involved with throughout the year. Maple Month, Maple Weekend, the Governors Tree Tapping, many of the State fairs and even the Big E Exposition in Springfield Mass are just a few.

This year we have an extra special event to look forward to in October. Each year each state and province that produces maple syrup takes turns hosting the annual North American Maple Syrup Council and International Maple Syrup Institute Annual meetings. Along with the meetings there are workshops, technical sessions and a huge vendor trade show. It’s a great opportunity for all sugar makers to learn the latest on research and development, best practices and much, much more. It also gives the host state organization the chance to showcase some of our states unique features and historic locations through tours for the attendees at the conference. Brian and I are on the organizing committee and we’ve been busy with our other committee members looking to make this a premier event.

Brian is monitoring the weather to keep an eye out for the forecast that will set the gears in motion for tapping this year. It should be soon. Tuesday we will have our maple hydrometer certified by the NH Department of Agriculture at a clinic so we know the calibration is spot on for making our syrup the perfect density. Stay tuned for more about opening, hours and boiling times. We look forward to seeing you all in the coming weeks.